In a drastic response to a record number of fatal bear attacks, Japan has deployed troops to its northern prefecture of Akita, where residents are living in a state of high anxiety.
The deployment of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) comes after at least 13 people were killed and more than 100 injured in bear encounters across Japan since April.
The northern regions of Ankita and Iwate have been the hardest hit, with bear sightings in Akita surging to over 8,000 this year.
Akita Gov. Kenta Suzuki stated last month, “The situation has already surpassed what the prefecture and municipalities can handle on their own, and exhaustion on the ground is reaching its limit.”
The soldiers’ role is strictly logistical; under Japanese law, they are not permitted to cull the bears.
Instead of this, troops are assisting by setting box traps, providing transport for local hunters, and aiding to dispose of carcasses. The actual hunting is left to a shrinking and aging population of licensed hunters, who are struggling to manage the scale of the problem.
The surge in attacks is driven by a complex mix of factors. A poor acorn harvest due to climate change, has left bears starving and driven them into urban areas to forage.
In addition to it, rural depopulation has led to abandoned farmland and homes, creating ideal cover for bears to encroach on human settlements.